That was a huge legislative win for Sens. Lou Ann Linehan and Tom Briese.
It's not done yet, but their relentless pursuit of 33 votes in the Legislature to free their mammoth tax reduction package from a filibuster and push it toward final enactment was a lesson in hey, it's never over.Â
Pedal to the metal, turn up the pressure, enlist allies, talk, bargain, make the case.
And probably -- I wasn't there to hear it, so I don't really know -- make sure senators clearly understood the consequences of saying no to big-time tax relief at a time when state government is flush with money.
Once the dam broke, many reluctant senators rushed to political safety with their votes.
And there it was: Tailored corporate and individual income tax reduction along with increased property tax reduction provided through expanded state income tax credits, all tied to gradual elimination of state income taxation of Social Security benefits.
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Stamped and approved, and headed down the tracks for final enactment in the closing days of the 2022 session.
The lingering question is what will be the future impact on state government's revenue stream and its ability to adequately fund state programs and institutions, deliver services and pursue new initiatives.
The estimated fiscal impact is a $565 million reduction in state revenue by fiscal 2024-25, rising to an estimated $900 million when fully implemented.
And the political fact of life that concerned opponents have voiced, along with an uneven delivery of tax cuts, is that it's a whole lot harder to raise taxes than to reduce them.Â
Verging on politically impossible.
Even when that might be required to adequately fund state institutions, programs and services.Â
Eliminating current sales tax exemptions for a range of services would be the most likely new revenue option, and that would fill the Capitol Rotunda with an army of lobbyists standing in the way.Â
Maybe population, workforce and economic growth is even more important now.
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Here's the challenge for Nebraska Democratic nominees seeking seats in the U.S. House of Representatives this election year:
* 1st District: 182,976 registered Republicans; 120,716 Democrats.
* 2nd District: 151,001 Republicans; 146,927 Democrats.
* 3rd District: 260,008 Republicans; 84,508 Democrats.
Metropolitan Omaha's 2nd District looks competitive, and it has been, although Sarpy County Republicans have been a dependable firewall in canceling out the Democratic majority vote in Omaha in recent House elections.
But they've not been quite as successful in preventing Democrats from winning a couple of recent 2nd District presidential electoral votes, including the one that went to Joe Biden in 2020.
Western and central Nebraska's 3rd District is an obvious Republican gimme.
This year's redistricting, along with the lack of an incumbent seeking reelection due to the resignation of Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, makes eastern Nebraska's 1st District more competitive, but a substantial GOP advantage still exists.
* * *
Despite the departure of Congressman Fortenberry, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln remains "very confident" that it will receive the continuing federal funding support required to build a new U.S. Department of Agriculture research center at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
"More than $31 million has already been federally appropriated and designated to USDA for this ARS facility at UNL," Deb Fiddelke, chief communication and marketing officer for UNL, said in an email message.
"And that support is expected to continue.
"Congressman Fortenberry was essential to getting this project moving, but we're well down the path," she said.
"And we continue to have tremendous support from the Nebraska congressional delegation.
"USDA is committed to this project," Fiddelke said, "and we are excited to see it come to fruition."
Former Sen. Ben Nelson originally drove the effort to acquire a USDA research center to help jump-start Innovation Campus and he began to acquire the necessary federal funding for the facility through congressional earmarks until his efforts were blocked when Republican leaders decided to turn earmarking into a national campaign issue and ended the practice.
Earmarks helped fund worthy projects across the state; there were no bridges or highways to nowhere funded with federal earmarks in Nebraska.
But politics delayed acquisition of a USDA research center and slowed the growth of Innovation Campus.Â
Finishing up
* Sen. Mike Flood will announce Monday that he has collected more than $700,000 in campaign contributions to help fund his Republican bid for the 1st District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives since he announced his candidacy on Jan. 16. That is a big-time start.Â
* Random information: The most popular names for new babies in Nebraska in 2022 are Oliver and Olivia.Â
* Based on the targeted assault on civilians, including children, that we see in Ukraine, perhaps the Nazis are not really in Kyiv as Putin claims, but in Moscow inside the Kremlin.
* Countdown: The 2022 Legislature has completed its 52nd day in session with final adjournment currently scheduled for April 20 -- if that day's prayer isn't filibustered.
* No litter boxes sighted in the Capitol.
* Baseball Thursday.Â